Alternative-Careers.co.uk

Green & Environmental Training Courses

How do you fancy getting into a job in a growing and technologically advancing industry? Train to become a Green Engineer, and you can. Whether you want to work in the UK or overseas, you could be installing equipment that saves CO2 consumption and cuts energy bills within months of starting a course. Oil and gas supplies are running out, and energy prices are prohibitive. We're constantly being told to use less energy in our day to day lives. Governments are actively encouraging consumers to be more energy efficient and look towards alternative renewable sources of power.

In the UK, householders with the oldest and lowest rated boilers can apply for grants to cover some of the costs of replacement. So domestic engineers with the correct skill-sets can find themselves in high demand. It's therefore a good idea commercially that your electrical or plumbing training includes working with green energy systems.

If you qualified as an electrician some time ago, you may want to update your knowledge of renewables.

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To learn the specifics of what's needed to get into the industry, we recommend you download your Free copy of our Training Information Guide.

'Green' Energy Solutions

Planet earth provides us with a rich source of renewables from which to extract more energy for our own use. So we can use sunshine, rain, wind and the tides to generate more power for ourselves. Windmills and waterwheels have been around for a long time, but modern technology can now take advantage of solar power and geo-thermal energy to power homes and businesses. Hence the opportunity for 'green collar' workers.

Solar Technology

Free energy from the sun can be absorbed by solar heating equipment and converted into domestic warm water. The technology has been around for over 30 years, and now many sophisticated systems are available. They're used alongside existing heating systems and can supply almost all the hot water a British family might need from late spring to early autumn. This lessens their impact on the environment by reducing carbon dioxide emissions by something like 400 to 750 kg a year. Solar collectors come as either flat plates or evacuated tubes. They should be fitted to roofs that are ideally facing towards the south.

Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels capture energy from the sun and use it to generate electricity. Once again, the panels should be fitted to a south facing roof or wall, along with an inverter in the loft to convert the DC electric current to AC. The power distribution panel in the house will take the 'solar' electricity and use it in combination with that from the National Grid. Users of solar electricity will not only reduce their carbon footprint, they'll also cut their electricity bills by over a third. They also automatically sell electricity back to the National Grid if their system produces more than they use. The amount energy suppliers pay for solar electricity has been increased two and three fold in the UK due to government legislation in early 2010. Key factors that will impact the amount of electricity generated are the size of the system, the geographical location, the angle of the panels and any shading from buildings or trees etc.

Geo-Thermal Energy

Geo-thermal energy is heat from the sun that's naturally stored in the earth. In order to extract the heat, 40mm geothermal pipe is installed into the ground, and fed with a fluid solution. The circulating solution collects the natural heat and takes it to the heat pump. Homes with underfloor heating will notice the biggest benefits that heat pumps can bring. Ground source heat pumps will lower household fuel bills. They need a small amount of electricity to run them, but can produce four or five times as much as they consume.

Continually Developing

When you train to work in the green installations industry, you'll pick up a variety of worthwhile skills. Naturally you'll be taught the necessary electrical skills, and the basics of domestic plumbing. You'll also look into the various energy efficient systems - how they work and how to install them. You should acquire the right skills and accreditations to able to work with solar thermal and solar PV systems, and geothermal heat pumps.

Training programmes are moving with the times, and will evolve as time goes on. The green market is growing fast, and opportunities are increasing in existing domestic properties, new builds and social housing.

Careers For The Twenty First Century

Every home being sold in the UK must now have an Energy Performance Certificate which states it's current consumption and advises on ways to become more efficient. Savings in some cases can run into thousands of pounds a year. Plus there are financial incentives in the UK for homeowners to upgrade their energy efficiency, providing systems are fitted by installers with appropriate certifications. But that's just the start. The UK government is aiming for fifteen percent of the country's energy to come from renewable sources by 2020. It will soon be socially, ethically and financially unacceptable to ignore renewable energy - and those with the right skills will find themselves in great demand.